Esalen Institute is open! However, Highway 1 to the south is closed — please review the current travel advisory.
Learn More.

Learn more.

Due to road closures along Highway 1 to our north and south, Esalen is closed through April 11.
Esalen Institute is open! However, Highway 1 to the south is closed — please review the current travel advisory.

Esalen opens May 3, 2024

Visitors are now able to access Esalen as well as other businesses and trails in northern Big Sur via twice-daily convoys on Highway 1 operated by Caltrans.

Convoys run only at 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. each day. These are the only opportunities to travel into and out of Big Sur, so visitors must plan accordingly.

Learn more.

Open Classes

Open Classes

Please note, the schedule is subject to change. Check listings on-campus during your stay for the most current information.

Open classes are available to all registered guests on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no need to sign up in advance for open classes.

Weekly Schedule of Open Classes

Led by a rotating roster of local teachers, Open Classes are available to all guests at Esalen. Below is a sample calendar — please check the schedule once you arrive on campus for information about specific times and offerings during your stay.

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY








5:00 – 5:45 pm
How to Drop Into Esalen


7:30 – 8:30 am
Morning Movement

2:15 – 3:15 pm
Afternoon Class



7:30 – 8:30 am
Morning Movement

2:15 – 3:15 pm
Afternoon Class

7:30 pm
Wed Evening Program


7:30 – 8:30 am
Morning Movement

2:15 – 3:15 pm
Afternoon Class








5:00 – 5:45 pm
How to Drop Into Esalen


7:30 – 8:30 am
Morning Movement

2:15 – 3:15 pm
Afternoon Class


7:30 – 8:30 am
Morning Movement

MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY


No classes on Monday


7:30 – 8:30 am
Enliven


7:30 – 8:30 am
Enliven


7:30 – 8:30 am
Enliven


7:30 – 8:30 am
Enliven


No classes on Sunday

4 – 5:00 pm
Restore


4 – 5:00 pm
Restore


4 – 5:00 pm
Restore


4 – 5:00 pm
Restore


4 – 5:00 pm
Restore

MONDAY


5:00 – 5:45 pm
How to Drop Into Esalen

TUESDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Morning Movement


2:15 – 3:15 pm
Afternoon Class

WEDNESDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Morning Movement


2:15 – 3:15 pm
Afternoon Class


7:30 pm
Wed Evening Program

THURSDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Morning Movement


2:15 – 3:15 pm
Afternoon Class



FRIDAY




5:00 – 5:45 pm
How to Drop Into Esalen

SATURDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Morning Movement


2:15 – 3:15 pm
Afternoon Class

SUNDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Morning Movement





MONDAY


No classes today

TUESDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Enliven


4:00 – 5:00 pm
Expand

WEDNESDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Enliven


4:00 – 5:00 pm
Expand

THURSDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Enliven


4:00 – 5:00 pm
Restore

FRIDAY


4:00 – 5:00 pm
Expand

SATURDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Enliven


4:00 – 5:00 pm
Expand

SUNDAY


No classes today

MONDAY


5:00 – 5:45 pm
How to Drop Into Esalen

TUESDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Morning Movement

2:15 – 3:15 pm
Afternoon Class

WEDNESDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Morning Movement

2:15 – 3:15 pm
Afternoon Class

7:30 pm
Wednesday Evening Program

THURSDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Morning Movement

2:15 – 3:15 pm
Afternoon Class

FRIDAY


5:00 – 5:45 pm
How to Drop Into Esalen

SATURDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Morning Movement

2:15 – 3:15 pm
Afternoon Class

SUNDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Morning Movement

Morning Movement

7:30 – 8:30 am
T, W, Th, Sa, Su

Soak in the bright energy of the morning during an invigorating movement program. Class styles will vary with each teacher, so come prepared to move your body in a new and heart-opening experience.

All levels are welcome.

Afternoon Class

2:15 – 3:15 pm
T, W, Th, Sa

The content of our afternoon classes depends on the teacher, and ranges from visioning to meditation, sound healing to forest bathing, creative expression, writing, and more.

Bring your journal, pen, and open mind.

MONDAY



No classes on Monday

TUESDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Enliven
Lawn Tent


10 – 11:00 am
Expand
Lawn Tent


4 – 5:00 pm
Restore
Lawn Tent

WEDNESDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Enliven
Lawn Tent


10 – 11:00 am
Expand
Lawn Tent


4 – 5:00 pm
Restore
Lawn Tent

THURSDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Enliven
Lawn Tent


10 – 11:00 am
Expand
Lawn Tent


4 – 5:00 pm
Restore
Lawn Tent

FRIDAY


4 – 5:00 pm
Restore
Lawn Tent

SATURDAY


7:30 – 8:30 am
Enliven
Lawn Tent


10 – 11:00 am
Expand
Lawn Tent


4 – 5:00 pm
Restore
Lawn Tent

SUNDAY



No classes on Monday

Meet Our Teachers
Staff
Staff
:
Ongoing

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Sadia Bruce
Sadia Bruce
:
Ongoing

Sadia Bruce (E-RYT 500, YACEP) combines her expertise in breath-based movement, her reverence for the human experience and her energetic gifts to guide you to an electrifying sense of your own embodiment. With over 20 years of teaching experience across disciplines and contexts, and over 15 years of dedicated yoga practice, Sadia endeavors to create energized, radically inclusive learning environments that are guided by breath and driven by inquiry.

@breathisalanguage

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Megan Cassamas
Megan Cassamas
:
Ongoing

For nearly a decade Megan has provided a somatic-based approach to yoga. Her passion is to serve as a guide to support others in bridging meditation and motion in empowering embodiment classes. She is the founder of Moja Yoga.

@moja.yoga

MojaFlow

MojaFlow is an experience to provoke and elevate you to discover new realms of energy and inspire you to experience the joy of going beyond barriers in your own practice and life. Class will include a somatic warm-up, breath-work, and strengthening exercises to support the body/mind connection.

Jovinna Chan
Jovinna Chan
:
Ongoing

Jovinna Chan, E-RYT 500, YACEP, is co-founder of Shakti Initiation Yoga Leadership School and A Wild Life Sanctuary™. She is a certified Soul Motion™ and LetYourYogaDance Teacher, and co-founder of Pranotthan School of Yoga. She leads transformational programs around the world.

jovinna.com

Soul Movement Sanctuary

This is a conscious dance practice for people who love or are curious about movement. Here in the company of non-dancers and dancers, we get supple and strong, we explore expressions, we celebrate creativity, we expand empathy, we move and are moved.

Pranotthan Yoga

In class we contemplate spiritual/philosophical teachings, slow down and move mindfully by co-ordinating breath with movement, sustain poses to deepen focus and awareness, practice breathing exercises and meditation to hone skillfulness in listening to the inner subtle experiences.

Cara Chandler
Cara Chandler
:
Ongoing

While at Esalen, Cara realized her path of holistic healing. Using her background in Entertainment paired with yoga, meditation, and psychology, Cara has crafted a practice to support self-expression, self-discovery and cultivate a mind-body connection.

www.lanamaste.com

Find Your Authentic Voice

Sink below the mind chatter and external layer to tap into your authentic voice and share who you truly are. Meditation, movement, and written reflections.

Finding Balance Through Breathwork

Through a series of breathwork exercises, you will find your way back to a balanced mind, body and spirit.

Grounding Into Yourself

Using meditation, gentle movement, and journaling, you will ground into your body, mind, and spirit.

Holistic Yoga Flow

An all-level Hatha-inspired physical practice paired with breathwork and mindfulness to rediscover your intuition and cultivate your mind-body connection.

Tap Into Your Intuition

Clear out your mental clutter and emotional blockages to tap into your intuition. Using a variety of healing modalities, you will connect with your higher intuitive self.

JJ Jeffries
JJ Jeffries
:
Ongoing

JJ Jeffries resides at the Esalen Institute, and has been offering movement classes here for almost two decades. Though BEING is his preferred state, he is intensely curious about all things DOING leading to BEING. He is a devotee of play and laughter, and welcomes your company.

Pathways to Joy

Start your morning by awakening your energetic body, tracking each of the chakras through the experience of meditative guitar and resonant voice. Then, emerge fully into sunrise energy with Dance Awake, connecting to your YES! and inviting ecstatic play and heart opening!

Intro to Gestalt Practice

Gestalt, like meditation, is an awareness practice that also provides a means for us to connect in the present moment. In this class, we will re-create and experience an Esalen style check-in, building spontaneous and intentional community. An Esalen tradition.

Micha Merrick
Micha Merrick
:
Ongoing

Micha shares vibrational ritual and embodied herbalism as a heartfelt communion with our living ecosystem. Through personal mentorship with shamanic Lahu medicine women of Thailand and spiritual midwives in Bali, Micha currently facilitates the Herbal Clearing Ritual at Esalen, an energetic healing practice combining sound, touch, herbs, and intention. Micha offers sanctuary and grounding in connection with the earth.

Bathing Rituals of Self Renewal

Meditate with the surging energy of the waves and let tension dissolve on the ocean breeze. Adorned with flowers and local healing herbs, this unique experience at the Esalen baths blends personal inquiry, herbal education, and sensory delight. Each ritual is an emergent collaboration of sound, sensation, intention, and floral offering to the sea. Come early, class size is very limited.

Deva Munay
Deva Munay
:
Ongoing

Deva is passionate about the transformational power of sacred sound. She has a certificate in Sound Healing from the Globe Institute of Sound & Consciousness in San Francisco, and lives in Big Sur where she leads sound journeys and teaches yoga, meditation, and her signature class The Hive and the Hum, about honeybees and frequency.

sacredsound.love

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Sam Stern
Sam Stern
:
Ongoing

Sam is the host of the Voices of Esalen podcast, a deep-dive interview program focused on Human Potential, with over 1 million downloads to date. He is a graduate of Brown University and received an MFA in Critical Studies and Integrated Media from CalArts. His greatest pleasure is spending time with his wife Candice and daughter Roxy.

A Brief History of Esalen: The 60's

Join Sam for a deep-dive into Esalen's archives to explore the transformative origins of the Esalen Institute and Human Potential. Discover the roots of a movement that forever changed the landscape of personal growth and self-discovery.